General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir William Keppel GCB (died 11 December 1834) was a British soldier and colonial administrator.

Military career

He entered the army as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the 25th Regiment of Foot on 25 January 1777, and became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

60th Regiment of Foot 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

4 March 1777. He subsequently served in the 23rd Regiment of Foot and the

15th Regiment of Foot 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious nu ...

the next year, the 82nd Regiment of Foot in 1782, and the

93rd Regiment of Foot The 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Line Infantry Regiment of the British Army, raised in 1799. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot to form the Argyll and Suthe ...

in 1783. He was breveted colonel in 1794. On 20 May 1795, he was promoted colonel of the 3rd West India Regiment, which he commanded until 1806. He was governor of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

1796–1802. In 1803, he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. On 24 April 1806, he was appointed colonel of the King's Royal Rifle Corps until 7 February 1811, when he transferred as colonel to the 67th Regiment of Foot, which he commanded until 1828. He was promoted full General on 4 June 1813. He became Governor of Portsmouth in 1826 and he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed

Governor of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British crown dependency off the coast of France. Holders of the post of Governor of Guernsey, until the role was abolished in 1835. Since then, only Lieutenant-Governors have been appointed (see Lieutenant Gover ...

in 1827. On 25 August 1828, he was appointed colonel of the

2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

. He was a Groom of the Bedchamber and Equerry to King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1830 (including the period 1812 to 1820 when the King acted as Prince Regent during his father's mental illness). He was knighted in 1813 and on 2 January 1815, made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

References

Sources

* 1834 deaths Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath British Army generals 67th Regiment of Foot officers 93rd Regiment of Foot officers East Yorkshire Regiment officers King's Own Scottish Borderers officers Queen's Royal Regiment officers Royal American Regiment officers Royal Welch Fusiliers officers West India Regiment officers Year of birth missing British Governors of Martinique {{Guernsey-bio-stub